#Craft Projects

[heimeldat]

I found a horrible falling apart Christmas angel at the thrift store.

So I pulled it apart.

And built it a sturdier core out of cardboard to replace that ridiculous plastic cone.

I shaped out the body with bits of cardboard and fabric.

Then made a better outfit from scraps of cotton.

First coat of grey paint, mixed with a bit of water so it saturated and hardened the fabric.

Second coat of paint filled in any spots I missed, gave it some color variation, and added mossy spots.

[kaenith]

I've been making window clingies of the elemental gems from Minish Cap and Four Swords (plus rainbows because pride month) and I thought I'd put together a tutorial :)

Materials needed:

Permanent markers

Clear cellophane wrap

Scisors

Paper to sketch or print your design on

Not strictly necessary but useful:

Tape (for holding your pattern in place)

Something with a straight edge, like a ruler or bone folder (for smoothing out the plastic)

Step one:

Decide on a design. I drew mine digitally and printed it out. The printer had an issue, but eh, I can still see the lines, it's good enough ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Step two:

Fold a sheet of cellophane wrap in half to make a double-layered sheet that is a little bigger than your intended design. Try your best not to get it too crumply and wrinkled, but in my experience a little bit of crinkling is unavoidable. Best not to get too perfectionist about it, and just embrace it as part of the stained-glass look!

Unfortunately, cellophane being clear, this step is hard to photograph ^^;;

Step three:

Lay the double-sided cellophane sheet over the top of your design. The best way I found to keep everything in place was to tape the pattern to a smooth surface and stick the plastic down around it.

Starting with the lightest colors first to avoid color bleed, start coloring your design, leaving the lineart for last.

Step four:

At this point, the colors might look nice and vibrant against the white paper, but when you pick the plastic up and hold it up to the light, it will likely look washed-out and/or streaky.

To build up the colors more, fold another layer of cellophane and place it on top of the inked side of your current sheet. Then go over the colors and lines again, once again in order from lightest to darkest.

Keep adding layers until you're satisfied with the darkness of the colors. You can even get some interesting effects and shading by combining layers of different colors!

Step five:

When you're done, add one final layer of cellophane to the top to protect the inks. If you have a ruler or bone folder, I recommend using it now to smooth out the plastic and press the layers together as much as possible.

Then just trim around the edges and slap it on your window! :D

[theinfamousdoctorf]

Anyone else ever try to cut a dildo in half? It's surprisingly difficult.

[primerjohn]

Green Rock Tortoise was this week’s project. Different from my normal miniatures, but applying many of the same skills. Used a glue gun for the first time as well. Hope my wife appreciates it on the 25th!

[hauntinghyrule]

I made a sticker out of FSA sprites ^_^

[akhuna01]

Meet my new son! I birthed him with glue and printer paper, lol.

The whole hedgie is printeable from pinterest, I take no credits for it. But I HAD to show it to somebody ❤ because isn't it precious!!!

[unrepentantcheeseaddict]

My Mom taught me how to make wax seals today, and I shit you not, it may be the funnest thing I've ever done.

I mean, what's not to love?

There's fire, there's melty stuff, there's the nearly instant gratification of being able to make a tangible, pretty thing in just a few seconds, and you can do it an unlimited number of times if you don't run out of materials!

Just needed to gush about that.

Also, having a Mom who still does craft projects with me and shares fandoms with me even though I'm in my twenties. That's pretty great.

[we-are-a-dragon]

DM: Anyway, Galwyn withdraws from his monastery with the blessings of his master. All the way home he has a spring in his step, talking excitedly about what he might do with his retirement. He asks each of you for ideas based on your experiences.

Hamish (playing Thaddeus): Fishing. Whittling. Join the army.

DM: He writes down fishing and whittling but not soldiering.

Rach (playing Ashiok): I suggest growing mushrooms or otherwise gardening.

Adam (playing Billie): Baking.

DM: He does a bit of everything and goes through a phase of trying things for a week and then moving on. He cooks one dish, nobody likes it, he abandons cooking. He tries crafting potions-

M (playing Kjell): Oh god. I confiscate those.

DM: He creates a horrible plant that looks and feels exactly like stone and plants it in the manor garden. He whittles a terrible shape that doesn't resemble anything you can think of. He happily pounds on musical instruments and plays with mud. He's finding himself.

M: *facepalms* And I'm running around behind him stopping his creations from killing my friends.

[vincaminor42]

I’m working on a project that’s potentially Very Silly, we’ll see how it turns out

[fashionmantras]

Best DIY Guide: Customizing Sneaker Slippers in 20 Minutes

Customizing Sneaker Slippers: Sneaker slippers merge the comfort of slippers with the style of casual sneakers. This fashionable hybrid footwear has taken off in recent years as more brands offer their own takes on slipper-sneaker fusion. But with some creativity, you can accomplish the task of Customizing Sneaker Slippers of your own at home for a DIY twist. This lets you make exactly the pair…

[mstrickster]

A while back, I saw the idea of printing out the comments you get on your writing. I figured I'd put together the box I got while I was at it. I like it.

[southeastasiadiary]

Day Twenty-Two: Repositioning #4

The major goal today was to move from Laos to Thailand, the last of the four countries I’m visiting on this trip. The transportation couldn’t have gone more smoothly. The flight even arrived a few minutes early. Passport Control was a breeze. And my guide, Sai, was waiting for me just outside the gate. We got to the hotel about 3:00 and checked in.

That’s when the Craft Gods decided to have yet another go at me.

As the desk clerk was showing me where my room was, she said that the hotel has special activities each day, outside by the tree that gives its name to the hotel: Tamarind Village. Today’s activity was making herbal balls (essentially sachets). Would I like to do that?

Now, not having anything else except dinner on the agenda for the day, I said, “Sure. What time?” The answer was 3:00. Which meant that I only had time to throw my suitcases in the room and set off to make herbal balls. How hard could that be, right?

Ha!

You recall my experience dyeing fabric? Well, today I had that experience on steroids. I’d be shown what to do, imitate as closely as I could, and then hear “No!” At this point, the partially-made herbal ball would be ripped from my hands, and (in the habit of crafts teachers everywhere, it seems), I’d be told to start over again.

So, here is the scene, and I promise you there’s no exaggeration. This was an activity intended mainly for children. So, for the approximately half hour I was there, platoons of seven- and eight-year olds came up, imitated the instructor, and went off to give their completed projects to their moms and dads in fewer than five minutes. Fewer than five minutes. I’m not kidding.

Meanwhile, all I’m hearing is “No!” The herbal ball is snatched away, deconstructed, and given back to me to start again. "Do it again!" Then (and remember: I'm telling you the absolute truth), when I’m FINALLY done, the judgment is “Not so good. Here do another.”

And suddenly I’m back in detention.

Here are the results of my forty minutes of labor:

The first, unsatisfactory one is on the left. The one on the right was deemed good enough (round, tightly packed) for me to be passed out of Herbal Ball Purgatory and released to be free on my own recognizance.

Now, let me make one thing clear. I’ve got enough self-confidence to know that there are things I do pretty darn well in this life. It’s just that craft projects aren’t one of them. And the consistency of that experience—everyone else succeeding at some simple task almost immediately, while I hear, “No! You need to start again!”—is truly remarkable.

Okay, okay. I know what you’re thinking. “Don’t exaggerate, Jeff. It’s not ALWAYS like that. Think of the day on which you did the phap lam enamel project. Sure, you thought the result wasn’t the prettiest one in the shop, but you got it done in one go. Right?”

Well, I had no idea when I was in Hue that “Jeff’s Continual Struggles With Craft Projects” was to become this trip’s leitmotif, so I … well … I truncated that story a bit.

The enamel image you saw at the end of that story

wasn’t the first one I made. It wasn’t even the second one. It was the THIRD attempt. Here’s how the first one came out:

The enamel too thin and the kiln was not yet hot enough, it seems.

Eventually, we got there, but on that day, too, there was a lot of “No!” accompanied by the shaking of heads and pained looks by the masters.

There’s a lesson in here somewhere. I’’m just not sure what it is.

[janeeyreofmanderley]

I probably should felt the fellowship.

[thecrochetcrowd]

16 Sweaters And Cardigan Gift Ideas

16 Sweaters And Cardigan Gift Ideas Crochet and Knit Sweaters and Cardigans Gift Guide In this collection if the series there is a fun selection of 16 different Sweaters And Cardigans for the whole family to create. In your choice of knit or crochet whip up a Sweater or Cardigan for you, your loved one, your little one or your fur babies, this page gives you options to create a little warmth for…

[notwhelmedyet]

I have finished Mission Mitten Repair aka Shitty Faux Leather Can Go Die Actually

so I got these lovely down mittens as a gift a few years ago, because I have reynauds syndrome and perennially cold fingers. They're very warm but the faux leather (or maybe bonded leather?) on the inside palms started desintegrating last year, leaving a trail of microplastics everywhere I went. Not great. They were expensive and I didn't want to chuck them, but the palmless mittens were no longer waterproof and not nearly as warm.

commence Mission Mitten Repair! Disassembling the mittens to redo the palms would have been a pain and a half so I decided to just applique another layer on top. I bought a bit of real leather (kangaroo, both bc I could find affordable offcuts in a convenient size and because it's known for being thin/flexible), scraped off all the flaking plastic I could, made pattern pieces that fit nicely over the palms & thumb, and then used the sewing machine to make stitching holes.

And then it was a week of hand sewing to get these babies back in business. It went. So. Slowly. I had to use a pair of pliers to pull the needle through on each stitch. The second mitten went much faster once I realized I could do this work while watching movies 😂

And now I have waterproof mittens again! It's very satisfying making something functional once again >:)

[mayorwhisper]

I LOVE CRAFTS